


Different

by Cassandra14



Series: Two Universes Over [20]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-08
Updated: 2020-09-08
Packaged: 2021-03-07 08:01:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,375
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26349775
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cassandra14/pseuds/Cassandra14
Summary: Five ways having Lin Beifong as a mother had life a little different
Relationships: Lin Beifong/Tenzin
Series: Two Universes Over [20]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/61893
Comments: 1
Kudos: 44





	Different

**1\. Sora**

The sheets were very white.

They made her Mama look paler and smaller.

"Mama?" Sora tiptoed over to the bedside. "Are you okay, Mama?"

Her mother reached for Sora's hand. "I'm okay." She did her best to smile.

Sora bit her lip, trying not to cry. Mama didn't cry. Not even when bad people had hurt her.

"Tenzin, can you -"

"Up you go," her father said as he lifted her onto Mama's bed.

Mama beckoned her. Crawling carefully, Sora crept into the crook of her Mama's arm.

"I'm okay, kit, I really am."

Sora sniffled. She whispered, "Sorry."

"For what?"

"Crying. Being a baby."

"Don't be sorry, Sora." More tears escaped as Sora felt familiar calluses stroke her cheek. "You're not a baby. Cry if you want."

"You don't cry."

Her parents shared a look. Sora thought it seemed sad somehow.

"Not sure that's a good thing," her Mama replied softly. "And I do cry, sometimes."

"Everyone cries Sora," said her father. He held a handkerchief to her nose. "Blow."

Sora trumpeted then curled tighter into her mother.

"Can I stay with you?" she asked plaintively.

"Of course."

Her father patted Sora's head. "I'll see if I can't find tea for us."

* * *

**2\. Tam**

Adjusting the sling in which Tam slept, Lin continued, "Mamoru: On the day in question, did you argue with Master Shigeo? Yunru: No, I did not argue with Master Shigeo. Mamoru: Then why do we have witness testimony from two customers and the shopkeeper of the adjoining store that claim you and Master Shigeo were shouting at one another?"

"Lin, have you seen my -" Tenzin blinked. He checked the bound papers in her lap. "Are you reading her a trial transcript?"

"From the Jasmine Street Jewelry's case."

"Someone was murdered in that robbery!" exclaimed Tenzin, gesticulating. "You can't read it that to her - it's - she'll -"

"Calm down. She's less than two months old. She doesn't understand a word and she's asleep." Lin tugged the papers a little straighter. "Besides, I have to get caught up."

"I know - but what if...traumatizes...somehow…" His protests faltered as Lin stared at him, one brow arched. "Never mind."

Lin grinned at him. "Now, what were you looking for?"

"My letter opener. It's nowhere in my office."

"Sorry, no idea."

"Thanks anyway."

He wandered off. To Tam, Lin said, "Your father really is ridiculous sometimes. Let's hope you inherited my common sense."

As if in agreement, Tam gurgled into Lin's shoulder.

* * *

**3\. Rohan**

Rohan gobbled the last spoonful of berries. Wiping his mouth, he folded his napkin haphazardly and announced, "I'm done."

"Me two!"

"Me three!" His two friends echoed him. Invited to spend the night on Air Temple Island as a pre-birthday treat for Rohan, they implored Tenzin with their eyes.

"May we be excused?" asked Rohan anxiously.

"You may, and I think you should check out the back." Smiling, Tenzin said, "Your mother left you an early birthday present."

"Woohoo!" cried Rohan. He and his friends dashed for the cleared play area at the rear of the family quarters.

They skidded to a stop.

A new swing set occupied the space. It hadn't been there yesterday.

"Wow!" "Neat!" "Cool!"

The boys circled the swing set. Set in a sandpit, it boasted two swings. The frame and chains were metal although a cloth sleeve protected hands from hot or pinching chains. Extraneous iron twisted into animal figures along the top rod and within the triangular supporting sides.

When Rohan tried a seat, he felt a wire framework underneath the leather exterior.

He pumped his legs. He soared.

"Come on," he encouraged his friends, "we're take turns!"

* * *

**4\. Akira**

"She shoved him and he fell, ma'am. We can't allow that," declared Miss Shashi, standing beside the Headmaster's desk. She stared disapprovingly at Akira while the Headmaster seemed uneasy. Akira glanced up at her mother.

"Akira, what happened?"

"He pulled on my braids," Akira replied. "I told him to stop but he didn't so I pushed him away."

Shashi tutted and claimed, "You didn't need to push him, boys do those sort of things if they like you. It's no big -"

"Excuse me?" snapped Lin. "What the hell are you saying?"

"I beg your pardon," gasped Shashi, "that language is utterly -"

"My language isn't the problem here, your attitude is." Lin focused on the Headmaster who wouldn't meet her gaze. "Are you telling me my daughter is being reprimanded for defending herself?"

"Well, you see, she did push him," protested the Headmaster. "Even if he was annoying her, we must teach our students to use words first -"

Lin gestured at Akira. "She did. He didn't stop. She did what she had to in order to make him stop touching her."

Whirling on Shashi, Lin demanded, "Where were you in all this? Did you see Akira ask him to leave her alone?"

"Y - Yes."

"Then why didn't you intervene when he refused to do stop?"

Shashi shrank in on herself and huddled closer to the Headmaster. With a final contemptuous glare, Lin proceeded to ignore her.

"Next time, I expect your staff to intervene before Akira needs to take matters into her own hands. Or any one at this school for that matter," Lin informed him coldly. "Am I understood?"

"I understand, Chief."

"Good. I'll walk Akira back to class now."

Hiding a smile, Akira slid from her chair. She took the hand Lin offered and they walked out.

Akira waited until the Headmaster's office door closed behind them to ask, "I'm really not in trouble? At all?"

"No." Lin halted and crouched until she was on level with Akira. "Anyone ever touches you and you don't want them to, you do whatever you have to do to make them stop."

"Yes, Mom." As Lin stood, Akira asked, "Is it true though? That boys do things like that if they like you?"

"I don't know, it'll be pretty stupid, but even if it's true, you said no and he should have listened." Lin said firmly, "Any decent person should have respected your 'no' and stopped. None of this idiotic 'boys will be boys' crap. Got it?"

Akira nodded, "Got it." 

* * *

**5\. Everyone**

Most mothers, Lin supposed, would screech if one of their children were balancing upright on the back of a sky bison.

"You ready?" Lin called over her shoulder, looking back to Tam in the saddle from her position on Oogi's head. Tam triggered the spring of the glider's wings.

"Yes!"

"On three," shouted Tenzin as he angled nearer. He stayed above them and well out of Tam's way, but close enough to reach her in a blink if needed. "One...two…three!"

Tam leapt, catching the wind.

Guiding Oogi to the left, Lin gave Tam additional room to maneuver. Tenzin called directions as Tam refined her maneuvering at this altitude, a hundred feet higher than anything she'd tried before. In front of them, Sora flew plainly to offer an example to Tam. Beyond them, Rohan waggled his glider and indulged in a short corkscrew.

"Mom?"

"Yes, kit?"

Akira half-turned in her mother's embrace. She asked, "Do you ever wish you could fly too?"

"Maybe once in a while," Lin admitted. Then she nudged Akira, smirked, and said, "But only once in a while. Airbenders can fly, but _we_ can do so much more. _We_ can move mountains and catch criminals and fix that leaking pipe your father tried to fix and wound up getting drenched by."

Giggling, Akira faced forwards again.

"Would you like to hold the reins?" asked Lin.

"Really?"

"Really." Placing the reins in Akira's hands, Lin waited until her daughter's hands had closed firmly on them before she let go. "Be gentle and try to keep us even with Tam."

"Okay, Mom, I can do it."

Smiling, Lin replied, "I know you can."

She relaxed; Oogi would be patient and correct himself if Akira made any mistakes.

Looking around, she watched her other children flutter and soar and spiral, orange-and-yellow gigantic butterflies. Her husband hovered, watching for any problems.

Briefly, she wondered what her fellow citizens thought of their most unusual family activity. Or of their unusual family in general.

The next moment, Lin shrugged. Unusual suited them just fine.


End file.
